The Match Factory Girl

Dir: Aki Kaurismäki
Star: Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari, Vesa Vierikko

[9] Probably the most depressing film I've seen in ages: a woman has a dull job, a joyless homelife and spends her evenings being gloomy. The first 20 minutes has three words of spoken dialogue: "Half of beer". The comic highlight is someone getting poisoned. And it's in Finnish. Yet despite being the visual equivalent of a Joy Division double-LP, it's more engrossing than it sounds (though I can't for the life of me work out why) - only confirmed depressives will actually enjoy it and the rest of us should be sure to put away any sharp objects before viewing.

6/10

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